What's new and notable on area stages

Marriott's "Light"

Previews begin Wednesday, July 22, for Marriott Theatre's production of the sumptuous Alan Guettel-Craig Lucas musical "The Light in the Piazza," about a young American girl whose budding romance with a handsome Italian boy worries the girl's protective mother. The charismatic Summer Smart (Drury Lane's "Sweet Charity") and Max Quinlan (Marriott's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat") star as the young lovers.

Opens Wednesday, July 29, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

"Caveman" in St. Charles

"Defending the Caveman," Rob Becker's frequently performed examination of relationships and the gender gap, returns, this time in a Noble Fool production at Pheasant Run Resort & Spa.

8 p.m. Friday, July 17, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 19, at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 584-6342 or noblefool.org.

Improv for everyone

The improv comedy teams Therapeutic Funtillectuals and Lost Not Stolen perform family-friendly shows inspired by audiences suggestions every week at the Improv Playhouse.

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com.

• Innatevolution Theater opened its inaugural double-bill of Edward Albee one-acts this week at Oracle Theater, 3809 N. Broadway St., Chicago. "The Zoo Story" about a chance meeting between two wildly different men that has life-changing consequences and "The Sandbox," a 15-minute, absurdist play, run through Aug. 9. (312) 513-1415 or innatevolution.org.

• Purchase a ticket online to one of the Northlight Theatre's upcoming productions on Friday, July 17, and you'll pay only $35. The pre-sale price applies to single tickets only and is available on that day only. Northlight's 2009-10 season includes the 1950s and '60s revue, "The Marvelous Wonderettes;" "Souvenir" about a modestly talented socialite determined to become a star; Clifford Odets' "Awake and Sing!" about a Bronx family surviving the Great Depression and starring Tony Award-winner Rondi Reed and John Nussbaum; "A Life," Hugh Leonard's sequel to "Da," starring John Mahoney as an aging Irishman trying to mend fences, and the world premiere of the musical revue, "Low Down Dirty Blues."

• Mo Roses Productions' adults-only "The New American Revue," a combination burlesque and circus sideshow, runs at 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 8 at No Exit, 6970 Glenwood, Chicago. For tickets, see brownpapertickets.com.

• The long-running interactive dinner-theater comedy "Tony & Tina's Wedding" goes on hiatus after Saturday, July 18. The nutty nuptials resume in November at its old digs at Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. (312) 664-8844 or tonyntina.com.

• Three original playlets examining modern relationships comprise Annoyance Theatre's latest offering, "Him and Her: Three Short Stories." The show runs at 8 p.m. Sundays, July 19 to Aug. 16, at 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago. (773) 561-4665 or annoyanceproductions.com.

• American Theater Company hosts 10 x 10, its first short play festival on Sunday, July 19, at 1909 W. Byron St., Chicago. The lineup includes Laura Lynn MacDonald's "The Blood Lines of Isaac Diggs;" Laura Jacqmin's "Brother;" Douglas Post's "Before It all Went Away;" Laura Eason's "It was Fun While it Lasted or I Wouldn't Drink That if I Were You or You Have Four Hours to Vacate the Premises;" Nambi E. Kelly's "Legacy;" Tanya Saracho's "MJ;" Josh Rollins' "The Secret to White Tigers;" Justin Palmer's "Taboo;" Kristiana Colon's "When in Rome;" and Andrew Honderailer's "In the National Interest." (773) 409-4125 or atcweb.org.

• Family discounts are available for select performances of "Million Dollar Quartet," a rousing jukebox musical that re-imagines an impromptu 1956 recording session at Sun Studios involving Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley. One child under age 17 will be admitted free with each paid adult to the 5 p.m. performances on Sunday, July 19, and Aug. 9. "Million Dollar Quartet" is running at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6100. To obtain the family discount, use the code "family" when ordering tickets through ticketmaster.com.

• The N.U.F.A.N. (No Use For a Name) Ensemble opens its Seven Plays in Seven Days festival featuring works by established playwrights and newcomers. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Monday, July 20, at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Chicago. (773) 282-0344 or nufanensemble.com.

• The nation's worst playlets get showcased as part of Stage Left Theatre's Drekfest 3, a festival that aims to reveal how funny bad writing can be. Members of Stage Left and ComedySportz perform the top four entries at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, at ComedySportz Theatre, 929 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 883-8830 or stagelefttheatre.com.

• Steppenwolf's 5th annual First Look Repertory of New Work begins Wednesday, July 22, at 1624 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Plays include Eric Simonson's "Honest" about an author whose memoir may not be legit; Laura Eason's "Sex with Strangers" about a couple whose online exploits threaten their real-life dating and Laura Jacqmin's "Ski Dubai" about a New Yorker who moves to a United Arab Emirates' city to promote "green" principles in a modern Middle East metropolis. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Apple Tree Theatre and the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University remount Apple Tree's "The Mistress Cycle," a chamber-musical by Jenny Giering and Beth Blatt examining the lives of notorious mistresses including Anais Nin and Madame de Pompadour. Performances begin Wednesday, July 22, and run through Aug. 8, at 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. (800) 982-2787 or appletreetheatre.com or auditoriumtheatre.org.

• The Chicago Park District's 57th annual Theatre on the Lake season showcasing some of Chicago's best theater productions from the past year continues Wednesday, July 22, with Barrel of Monkeys' family-friendly show "Fun O'Clock: A Very Special 'That's Weird, Grandma'" comprised of stories penned by Chicago public school children and adapted by the ensemble members. Performances run through July 26, at the theater located Fullerton Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Theatre on the Lake continues through Aug. 9. (312) 742-7994 or chicagoparkdistrict.com.

• The Neo-Futurists continue their annual staged readings of truly terrible films on Thursday, July 23, with "Equinox," a low-tech, 1970 film about teenagers who get more than they bargained for exploring dark, creepy caves. The series, "It Came from the Neo-Futurarium VIII: Legend of the Neo-Futurarium," runs Thursdays through July 30, at the Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. See neofuturists.org for more information.

• Black Ensemble Theater's Sex in the Summer in the City series showcasing one-act plays by members of BE's Black Playwrights Initiative continues on select Thursdays and Saturdays through Aug. 29, at 4520 N. Beacon St., Chicago. Upcoming plays include Cory Wright's "Glamorous Life" about a young woman whose life isn't as exciting as it appears, and Qween Wicks' "A Love by Any Other Name," about an uneasy friendship between three women. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.

• A high school graduation party is the setting for Devised Shakespeare Company's "What We May Be: A Shakespearean Remix" a coming-of-age play inspired by the Bard. The show runs Tuesdays through July 28, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Also running Tuesdays through July 28 at Gorilla Tango is "Consume," a burlesque revue centered around food, sex and money. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.